Saugerties police chief Joseph Sinagra

The Saugerties police report for 2017 includes a record high in spending, earnings almost triple that of last year, and the purchase of new equipment, including eight more body cameras, a high-capacity data server to store video footage and a replacement police modem. The police department also increased the use of Facebook for public outreach.

Joseph Asprea was hired in September to replace officer Jonathan Tiernan, who joined the Poughkeepsie town police last July.

“I want [people] to understand that the cops are out there working. Although we spent more money, we spent it frugally. In order to provide a good police service we need to spend money,” police chief Joseph Sinagra said. “Although I acknowledge that we went over budget, we made great strides to bring revenues in. We have been forced to find ways to bring money in legally without stepping over that line in the economy of the last ten years. When we write tickets, we are not writing tickets to make money for ourselves; we write tickets to educate the public.”

The department spent $2.61 million, $138,000 more than last year. It took in $217,946 in revenue from sporting-event security, impound storage fees and charges for nuisance alarms.

More expenses, more revenues 

“We spent more money this year because of unforeseen information technology issues,” explained the Saugerties police chief. “We had to replace a server that we didn’t intend on replacing.”

There was also a lot of overtime at the beginning of 2017. “We had an officer that was deployed and another that underwent major surgery. We spent a lot of the overtime money very quickly.”

Non-traditional police services increased. “We also obtain revenues through Carfax and [Freedom of Information Law] requests.”

“We had lots of grants,” Sinagra reported. “We received [$10,000 in] grant money from [state] senator George Amedore’s office, an $8000 grant from the federal government for ballistic helmets, and we received $13,000 from the Department of Homeland Security for a new canine and a $10,000 sustainability grant. We’ve gotten almost $27,000 in grants from Homeland Security. We also took in $20,000 in computer hardware grants. We took out $111,000 in back charges for events and private security. We received $4000 in body-armor grants.”

The pedestrian safety program launched in 2013 has led to a 70 percent decrease in pedestrian-vehicle accidents. In the first five months of 2013, three individuals were killed in this fashion and 14 non-fatally struck. This year, only four non-fatal scuffles between people and cars took place.

Mental health problems

In 2017, there were 148 domestic violence-related arrests, 42 more than in 2016.

There were also 31 more people forcibly taken to the hospital in Saugerties by police under Mental Hygiene Law 941. Rather than a local shortcoming, Sinagra regards this statistic as “just a sign of our times.” “It’s an example of how dysfunctional the mental-health system is,” said Sinagra. “It’s the fault of the governor of this state and his inability to properly fund mental-health institutions. There are not enough to take care of those who are mentally ill, people are experience more crises than they ever have before, and in this country we tend to medicate people and send them on their way.” On 100 of the 148 times people were sent to the hospital against their will, they were sent in a police car rather than an ambulance.

Members of the police department completed a total of 3875 hours of training this year. Some officers completed special programs. Lieutenant K.J. Swart graduated from the FBI Academy in November of this year, and Ulster County Emergency Response Team officer Sean O’Keefe completed both the DCJS SWAT Program and the DCJS Sniper School.

Smile, you’re on camera

Body-worn cameras have become as standard as firearms and handcuffs. According to the report, footage captured on these cameras in 2016 led to guilty pleas in two murders without either case going to trial. In a car accident, evidence from an officer’s body camera led to a conviction without trial for vehicular homicide.

“The things that were captured immediately were advantageous toward their attorneys saying, ‘We can’t go to trial on this, we need to take a plea deal,’” said Sinagra. “There was a lot of physical evidence captured that made it difficult for defense attorneys to defend their clients.”

Eight additional cameras were purchased this year, bringing the department’s camera total up to 32, with three charging stations. In total, the equipment has cost the department “less than $45,000.” The department’s IT team installed a new server last year to handle the storage of the video captured by the cameras.

In February, the department’s outdated communication console was replaced, facilitating radio communication between dispatchers and officers in the field.

New York State Police from the Wappinger barracks today arrested Steven Schwartz, 53, of Poughkeepsie, for six counts of Possession of a Sexual Performance by a Child, a class E felony.

On Jan. 26, police initiated an investigation into inappropriate comments made by a teacher to a student in the Wappingers Central School District. The incident was reported to have occurred at Fishkill Plains Elementary School where Schwartz is employed as a teacher.  An investigation by the state police, in conjunction with the Dutchess County Child Advocacy Center and with assistance from the Wappinger Central School District, concluded that Schwartz possessed images of child pornography on personally owned electronic devices.

Schwartz was arraigned before the Town of Poughkeepsie Court and remanded to Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond. Schwartz is next scheduled to appear before the court on Feb. 14, at 2 p.m.

Anyone with information concerning this investigation is asked to contact the New York State Police at 845-677-7300.

Members of the New Paltz Town Board have questions they’d like answered about the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) before renewing a contract under which a town officer is assigned to work with the task force several days a week. County sheriff Paul Van Blarcum and Assistant District Attorney William Weishaupt joined town Police Chief Joseph Snyder last week to address those concerns.

Supervisor Neil Bettez said that he understood the value of cross-departmental collaboration and communication, particularly during the current opioid crisis, but given the ongoing budget constraints in the town he wanted to make sure he grasped the value of the program to town residents. Snyder said that when URGENT presence is needed, it is brought to New Paltz; he also pointed out that this is not based on participation, but need.

Van Blarcum’s comments largely restated the same theme: there has been participation by a New Paltz officer every year since the program was established in 2007, and in his opinion the only reason to even consider withdrawing that support is political. Some county legislators tried unsuccessfully to modify the overall contract, specifically to end the use of minors as informants and in undercover operations, but fell short of that goal.

Weishaupt said simply, “It’s not an issue.” Only rarely is there even a request to use a minor, he said; just once in his forty years in law enforcement, and never in URGENT in the year or more he’d been involved in the program.

Deputy Supervisor Dan Torres pressed for details about collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An ICE agent works with URGENT, and Weishaupt said that it’s a valuable resource since they are specialists in large criminal investigations and human trafficking. In his experience, he observed, no police officer ever asked a suspect about their immigration status, although he also said, “You don’t want to know my views on immigration.” Torres’ question about whether the town’s sanctuary law would be honored was never clearly answered.

Town officials will decide on the fate of this collaboration at a future meeting. They were advised previously by Snyder that, despite the contract only being for one year, the arrangement would not expire unless they voted to terminate it.

On Feb. 9, the New York State Police from the Poughkeepsie barracks arrested Scott Messick, 58, of Pleasant Valley, for Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a class A misdemeanor, and Illegal Discharge of a Firearm, an unclassified misdemeanor.

On Jan. 28, the New York State Police responded to Meddaugh Road in the town of Lagrange for a report of a dog shot.  Investigation determined Messick discharged a shotgun within 500 feet of nearby residences without permission and killed his neighbor’s dog.

Messick was issued appearance tickets returnable to the town of Lagrange Court on Feb. 20, 2018, at 5 p.m.

The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 33-year-old woman following a motor vehicle accident in Rosendale.

On Feb. 4, at approximately 9:30 p.m. deputies responded to an accident in the town of Rosendale. While investigating, a second 911 call was received reporting an intoxicated female who just arrived at a residence in New Paltz. New Paltz Police made contact with the female, identified as Mary T. Klein, 33, of New Paltz. Deputies then responded to the residence, where they found Klein’s vehicle was damaged in a way consistent with the accident. Investigation determined Klein’s two children were in the vehicle at the time of the accident. While being processed, police said Klein assaulted a deputy.

Klein was charged with the felonies of DWI, Aggravated DWI and Assault in the Second Degree, the misdemeanors of Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Obstructing Governmental Administration in the Second Degree, as well as the infractions of Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident and Speed Not Reasonable or Prudent.

Klein was arraigned in the Town of Esopus Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bail or $30,000 secured bond.

Deputies were assisted by members of the New Paltz Police Department.

Eric Schneiderman (file photo)

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced the takedown of a major Hudson Valley narcotics distribution ring in what the office dubbed “Operation Yellow Brick Road.” And like the shining street in the film, this operation was conducted amid innumerable opium poppies – or, at least, the processed gum that oozes therefrom.

The 172-count indictment charges 16 members of a large, violent narcotics trafficking ring operating in the Hudson Valley, selling heroin and cocaine in Newburgh and elsewhere in Orange County. The indictment, unsealed in Orange County Court today, charged the 16 alleged co-conspirators with conspiracy, criminal sale of a controlled substance, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, in addition to other charges. Each defendant now faces up to 25 years in prison.

“This takedown should send an unmistakable message: we won’t let our communities live in fear,” said Schneiderman. “Our investigation uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking ring that we allege peddled cocaine, heroin, and violence on the streets of Newburgh and throughout New York. The opioid crisis – and the violence that often comes with it – has been catastrophic for small cities and suburban and upstate communities across New York. By partnering with local law enforcement, our [Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic] Initiative is working to cut off the supply of drugs into our communities and drive violent gangs and traffickers out of business, part of our multi-levered approach to tackling the opioid epidemic.”

According to a press release, the operation was dubbed “Operation Yellow Brick Road” partially due to ringleader Damion Jackson’s street name “Toe-Toe.”

Over the course of the ten months-long investigation, state, federal and local authorities recovered:

• Bulk heroin, and hundreds of doses of heroin in individual glassines, some marked with brand names such as “Focus,” “Shine,” and “X-men”
• Bulk cocaine used to make thousands of individual doses for resale
• 1 kilo of methamphetamine
• 40 pounds of marijuana
• 3 handguns
• 1 sawed-off shotgun
• 1 shotgun
• At least $36,000 in cash

Carlos Graham 

Brandyn Foster

New York State Police yesterday arrested Carlos Graham, 31, of Catskill, for second-degree murder as a result of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Brandyn Foster.

Foster was first reported missing to police at the end of January of 2017.  The year-long, multi-agency investigation was conducted by State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, town of Woodstock Police, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, the Greene County District Attorney’s Office, and the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office.  The investigation resulted in the recovery of Brandyn Foster’s body which had been buried on property located on Tool House Rd in the Town of Catskill.  Foster was residing at that property on Tool House Rd at the time of his disappearance and his death was ultimately ruled a homicide following an autopsy. Foster formerly resided in Woodstock.

Graham was located at a private residence in the town of Catskill by the State Police and taken into custody without incident with the assistance of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Graham was arraigned in the town of Cairo Court and was committed to the Greene County Jail without bail pending a future court appearance.

Verraine and Asia (Facebook)

Phoenicia resident Solane Verraine, having pled guilty to manslaughter in the assisted suicide of her husband, John Owings, Jr., a.k.a. Johnny Asia, was sentenced on February 21 to one to three years in state prison. Ulster County Justice Don Williams said he would urge the Corrections Department to give her full credit for the 15 months she has already served in county jail, and her attorneys said she stands a good chance of being released by this summer or fall.

“The imposition of today’s sentence may well be the most difficult, if not daunting, responsibility on my shoulders in my entire career,” said Williams, before delivering his decision. “It would be easy to follow my heart. It’s tempting to order the immediate release of this defendant, but I cannot violate my oath to uphold the law.”

Owings died at his home in Phoenicia on November 19, 2016, and Verraine has been held in county jail without bail since that day. Williams had previously considered a sentence of either two to six years or three to nine years, due to the complexity of the case and the evidence presented. For instance, Owings did not leave a suicide note. He did not have a terminal disease and had not expressed suicidal ideation to any medical personnel, although Verraine said he told her he wanted to be delivered from his years of pain and illness. Other individuals had reported hearing of his wish to die, but those reports had also come by way of Verraine in the period preceding his death. However, one of Verraine’s attorneys, Kevin Harp, said he had provided captures of Owings’ Facebook page regarding the story of a couple who had engaged in an assisted suicide some months before his death.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Kavanagh requested the one- to three-year sentence, arguing against a more lengthy incarceration. He cited new evidence from hospitals that showed Owings had suffered for over five years with a variety of diagnoses, including severe alcoholism, Lyme disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, a spinal condition known as spondylolisthesis, and a disease that causes deterioration of muscle fiber. “He was spiraling,” said Kavanagh. “He was falling down, he had broken ribs.”

Kavanagh also pointed out that, although Verraine had initially told police she had come home and had found Owings dead, when they questioned her closely, she quickly admitted that she had assisted in his death. “When EMS arrived,” he said, “they found her on the ground lying next to him. When the paramedic expressed suspicion, almost immediately she said, ‘I have to be honest. He killed himself.’” Previous reports stated that she then confessed she had saved and crushed up a large quantity of medications, which Owings consumed with alcohol.

“She acknowledges what she did,” said Kavanagh, “and that this is an extremely serious case. Other avenues might have been chosen to turn his life around, and he might still be here.”

Harp said Verraine has discussed her actions extensively with him and with attorney John Ingrassia. “She regrets her actions,” said Harp, “and understands they were legally and morally wrong. She has indicated that her period of incarceration has been a period of spiritual deepening, of renewal and growth.”

Ingrassia pointed out that given the goal of sentencing as a deterrent, it seemed clear that Verraine needed no further punishment to make her realize her error. “My client understands why people can’t do what she did, and that there were other options, including removing herself from the situation” instead of aiding her husband in accomplishing his stated desire.

“In my 28 years as an attorney, in both defense and prosecution, this is one of the most difficult cases I’ve encountered,” said Ingrassia. “I’ve spent a great deal of time visiting my client. As bizarre as it might seem, her actions came from a deep-rooted sense of love.”

Williams asked for confirmation that the District Attorney’s office had found no evidence of malicious intent, animosity, or prospect of financial gain. “We made every attempt to find possible motives,” replied Kavanagh, “but we found nothing. She had nothing to gain.”

Verraine, 63, short and slender, with long brown hair, was wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles. She stood in silence throughout the session, except when the judge asked if she wished to make a statement. She said she would prefer to let her lawyers speak for her.

Before sentencing, Williams made a lengthy statement weighing the aspects of his decision, saying, “I have struggled and labored from the outset to early this morning and right now, to discern a just and fair sentence.” He observed that the lack of “an evil state of mind” accompanying assisted suicide makes it different from every other crime. “I’ve weighed the punishment and its impact on the community and how society foresees assisted suicides. Many people have sent me letters asking for leniency, people with strong opinions about the law against assisted suicide. But legislation should not come from the bench. A decision was made to take a life, assisted and administered by another person without the participation of medical professionals or mental health experts to ease the pain or guide the decision. That cannot be allowed. This sentence will ignite a deeper and more thoughtful discussion at the New York State legislature to discuss this issue so no other court will have to face this difficulty.”

There are seven states that permit doctors to give lethal medications to terminally ill patients who wish to commit suicide. New York is not one of them. All states in the U.S. forbid assisted suicide by any individual other than a physician, and no state permits physician aid-in-dying unless the patient has a terminal diagnosis.

Ingrassia said Verraine will be in county jail for a few more weeks until the Corrections Department transfers her to an as yet unspecified state facility. A short time later, she will be eligible for review as to whether she should be released. When asked what he thought of the sentence, Ingrassia said, “The judge has been very fair in all the conferences and proceedings. I think it’s a just sentence.” ++

Four people have been charged in connection with a grisly gangland slaying at a state park in Saugerties last October. Cops say the murder of the unidentified victim was carried out by members of the 18th Street Gang, a multinational criminal organization that specializes in drug dealing, human trafficking and murder.

Sergio Gerardo Herrera-Hidalgo, 19, Christian R. Perez Perez, 20, and Israel Mendiola-Flores, 23, were charged with second-degree murder in Rosendale town court on February 21. A fourth unidentified man was arraigned for the same crime under heavy security in Town of Ulster court on the same day. Additionally, Herrera-Hidalgo and Perez face federal charges in connection with the murder conspiracy.

An affidavit from FBI agent Daniel Letts filed in support of arrest warrants for Herrera-Hidalgo and Perez lays out a horrifying chain of events that allegedly took place on the night and early-morning hours of October 25, 2017 when gang members brought their victim, a suspected police informant, from Queens to Kingston on a Trailways bus. They were met by Kingston-based gang associates including Perez and Herrerra Hidalgo.

The body was found at Sojourner Truth/Ulster Landing Park

The hit team then transported their victim to Turkey Point State Forest in Saugerties, where one member of the crew allegedly recorded his confederates stabbing to death and mutilating their victim. On the video, two gang members identified as “Co-conspirator 1” and “Co-conspirator 2” in Letts’ affidavit are seen stabbing the victim repeatedly in the body, slashing his throat and cutting off his left ear.

According to the affidavit, at one point in the video an unidentified male is heard saying in Spanish , “He’s fucked now” to which Co-conspirator 1 replied, “In a big way, son of a bitch. For being a rat.” Later in the video Co-conspirator 1 declares “For the Surenos, okay,” using a term for senior members of the 18th Street Gang.

The murder video, Letts told the court, was later shared with an FBI informant using the secure messaging platform WhatsApp. According to Letts, Co-conspirator 1 told the informant that the murder was intended to send a message to other gang members to step up their revenue-generating criminal activities or face similar consequences.

According to Letts’ affidavit, the FBI has been investigating the murder since November. In messages between Co-conspirator 1 and the informant, Letts’ affidavit claims, the conspirator admits killing a member of a rival gang on February 2 in Queens. By Mid-February the affidavit claims, police Co-conspirator 1 had fled his home base in the Jamaica Hills section of Queens to take refuge with members of the gang’s Kingston-based “Cachon.” Meanwhile, on Valentine’s Day FBI and state police investigators discovered the body of the victim buried in a five-foot-deep grave at Turkey Point.

By February 12, the FBI working with state police and local cops had moved their search for the killers to Kingston. Using a sting-ray device which simulates a cell phone tower to track signals from targeted phones, police were able to track Co-conspirator one to Perez’s residence in Kingston. Police also identified Co-conspirator 2 staying with Herrera-Hidalgo in Kingston.

On February 20, police moved in and arrested all four men. All four were arraigned on state charges of second-degree murder. Herrera-Hidalgo, Perez and the unidentified man arraigned in the Town of Ulster were moved into federal custody.

It is unclear whether Mendiola-Flores is one of the two unnamed co-conspirators in Letts’ affidavit. The affidavit claims that during a subsequent interview with police Herrera-Hidalgo admitted that he took part in the murder conspiracy and personally stabbed the victim. Police recovered shovels from Perez’s residence that they say could have been used to dig the grave at Turkey Point.

Ulster County district attorney Holley Carnright declined to discuss specifics of the investigation, except to confirm that the case involved members of the 18th Street Gang based in Kingston. Officials at the New York State Police and FBI also declined to discuss the case.

 Brandyn Dayne Foster

When Brandyn Dayne Foster went missing a little over a year ago, it was Woodstock Police who first picked up the case. But according to Chief Clayton Keefe, all files were handed over to the state police within weeks after which the Woodstock musician was given the missing person ID, NamUs MP # 37966.

On February 6, the 31-year-old Foster’s remains were found on a rural Catskill property where he was living at the time of his disappearance. On February 14 police arrested Carlos Graham, 31 of Catskill, and charged him with second-degree murder for killing Foster.

According to state police Senior Investigator Pete Kusminsky of the State Police Catskill Barracks, speaking when a search was first undertaken last October at the Tool House Road property where Foster’s body would eventually be found, the man’s disappearance was first reported on January 30, 2017 by his mother, who lives in Woodstock. Bonnie Steinberg later said that she knew something was wrong the last time she talked to her son on January 26, when he got off the phone abruptly without saying he loved her.

Foster was known as an up-and-coming rap and hip-hop artist; he has released several albums in recent years as Brandyn Dayne, including Whiskey & Ink in 2012, recorded in Woodstock and LOL MOB (Loyalty Over Love Money Over Bull—-) in 2014. He has a ten-year-old son, Jazzon, and is himself the son of jazz drummer Al Foster, who played with Miles Davis in the 1970s.

Following news of the state police’s search of Foster’s last known residence in the town of Catskill, as well as another house in the village of the same name, Foster’s parents offered a $20,000 reward for information regarding their son’s whereabouts.

Foster grew up living in several homes on Ohayo Mountain Road. Other pseudonyms he’s used in social media in recent years have included Multy and Bob Lee Swagga. His last Facebook posts were on January 24, 2017 when he asked “Are the roads still bad.” According to Keefe, he was last seen at 1:30 p.m. on January 26, 2017 in Woodstock.

An autopsy of Foster’s body ruled his death a homicide.

“Evidence reflects that (Graham) is responsible for this death, and the investigation continues to determine whether there are more people involved,” Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione said in a statement, adding that Graham’s motivation is still unknown. It was not said how Foster’s body was discovered.

Graham is being held without bail at the Greene County jail.

Carlos Graham

On Feb. 21, following a complaint received from Saugerties High School, the Saugerties Police initiated an investigation into several social media postings. The content of the postings was as follows:

“I envy [Columbine shooters] Eric [Harris] and Dylan [Klebold]. It must’ve been so f…ing fun. They had the right f….ing idea. I’m so full of rage anymore. Nothing f….ing matters anymore”

And:

I feel as though I’m not the type of person you’d want to call your friend, but I firmly believe that you do want to call me your enemy. Just remember: when the shit hits the fan, there won’t be any time for mercy”

Saugerties detectives, with assistance from the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office and the New York State Police Intelligence Center in Albany, determined the posts were made by Connor Chargois, 18, a senior at Saugerties High School. Police interviewed Connor and his father, Bruce Chargois, 58. Police said in the initial interview Connor Chargois admitted that he was the author of the postings, but denied possessing any firearms. Bruce Chargois said neither he nor his son owned any firearms, nor were there any in the house.

In a later interview, on Feb. 27, police learned from Bruce Chargois that in fact there had been firearms in the home, but that he had removed them immediately after being interviewed. Subsequently, police accompanied Bruce Chargois to his place of business, the Greco Brothers Amusement Co., located at 3 Glasco Turnpike, where Bruce Chargois showed detectives where he had hidden five firearms, including a fully automatic 9mm Uzi and an AR-15 assault rifle.

Bruce and Connor Chargois

As a result of the seizure of the firearms, Saugerties Police with assistance from members of the New York State Police CNET, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office and agents from ATF conducted a search warrant at the residence of Connor and Bruce Chargois, located at 5 Sawyerkill Terrace in the village of Saugerties.  A quantity of ammunition of varying calibers, homemade knives, machine fabricated gun parts, a prototype of a firearm that Connor Chargois admitted he had been manufacturing in the basement of the house, in addition to a number of completed homemade firearms in both .22 and 9mm caliber capacities were located.

Saugerties Police have charged Bruce Chargois with the felony of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the third degree (two counts), and the misdemeanor of Obstructing Governmental Administration, resulting from the removal of the illegal firearms from his home and then hiding them in his place of business.

Connor Chargois has been charged with the felony of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the third degree. Additional charges are possible, pending completion of the police investigation, as additional search warrants were being executed at this time.

Both Bruce and Connor Chargois were arraigned in the Village of Saugerties Court. Bruce Chargois was released on his own recognizance, while his son Connor was remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail. He has since posted that bail, and is no longer in custody. An order or protection was issued on behalf of the school district.

Reaction from local officials 

Saugerties Town Police Chief Joseph Sinagra:

“This investigation is an example of how community members, school district administrators and law enforcement authorities can effectively work together when everyday people become involved. Had it not been for the initial reporting of this event by the individuals whom had seen the original post, who knowns what the end result could have been. As the police chief of our community, I thank the individual who had the courage to come forth with this information and took an active stance in reporting the postings, rather than taking a passive posture.”

Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright:

“Yesterday was a day for the good guys.  As I read, heartbroken, of the senseless, tragic, mass shooting slaughters that happen around our country I struggle with a host of emotions and frustrations.  Always present is my belief that these events do not happen in a vacuum.  I believe that there must be signs, people, particularly parents, have to have some idea that something is terribly wrong long before the actual tragedy.  I am so thankful to live in a community where the people who received Chargois’ posts reported it to the police.

“I have said many times before and I repeat today, that Ulster County is served by a group of outstanding, highly qualified, caring, law enforcement personnel.  Our goal is to keep all of our citizens safe.  The Chargois investigation stands as an exemplar of how, if we work together, we can live in a safer world.”

Superintendent of Saugerties Central School District Seth Turner:

“In this situation, the mantra ‘If you see something – say something’ worked.  An anonymous tip was shared with a teacher, who brought it to the attention of the school administration, who brought it to the School Resource Officer. On behalf of the Saugerties Central School District, I am thankful for the unyielding diligence of the administrative team, the Saugerties Police Department, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, and the related agencies. It is my sincere belief that the community is safer as a result of the collaborative efforts of the school and police.”

Henry Reilly

The New York State Police at Kingston announce the arrest of Henry L. Reilly, 23, of Woodstock, for the felony offense of Making a Terroristic threat.

Police said Reilly posted a threatening message on social media about initiating school violence. Reilly did not specify which school in Ulster County that he was referring to during the posting or upon being interviewed.

Henry L. Reilly was arraigned in the town of Woodstock Court and was remanded to the custody of the Ulster County Jail on a $50,000 cash bail.  He was ordered to return to the town of Woodstock Court at a later date.  Also assisting with the Investigation was the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, town of Saugerties PD and town of Woodstock PD.

Andrew J. Robinson, Sr. & Jr. 

On Feb. 23, a Greene County grand jury indicted Andrew P. Robinson Jr., 25, of Catskill, on the following charges:

• Four counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (third degree) with the Intent to Sell (B Felony).
• Four counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance (third degree) (B Felony).

That same day, State Police in Catskill and the Greene County DA’s Office executed a search warrant at Robinson Jr.’s home in the town of Catskill. A quantity of heroin, scales, packaging and a dagger were seized. As a result of the search warrant, Robinson Jr. was additionally charged with the following:

• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (third degree) with the Intent to Sell (B Felony).
• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (seventh degree) (A Misdemeanor).
• One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon (fourth degree) (A Misdemeanor).

On Feb. 28, a Greene County grand jury indicted Andrew P. Robinson Sr., age 41, of Cairo, on the following charges:

• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (third degree) with the Intent to Sell (B Felony).
• One count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance (third degree) (B Felony).

The arrests were the result of an eight-month-long investigation into sale of heroin in the town of Cairo and Catskill.

The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police in Catskill, the Greene County District Attorney’s Office, Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Cairo Police Department.

Andrew Robinson Jr was sent to the Greene County Jail on $10,000 cash and $20,000 bond and Andrew Robinson Sr. was sent to the Greene County Jail on $5,000 cash and $10,000 bond after being arraigned in Greene County Court.

Town of Ulster officers investigating a report of man passed out in his vehicle uncovered, police say, a rolling meth lab inside the vehicle.

Brian N. Lazor, 35, of Wood, Pa. was arrested around 10:59 p.m. on March 3. The arrest occurred after town cops responded to a request to check on the welfare of a man who appeared to be passed out in a vehicle parked on Ulster Avenue. When police arrived, they discovered Lazor inside the vehicle along with what cops described as a “portable methamphetamine lab.”

Lazor was charged with felony third-degree unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine and misdemeanor counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument. Lazor was also charged with violation unlawful possession of marijuana. He was arraigned in Ulster Town Court and jailed on $25,000 bail.

The Ulster Police Department was assisted at the scene by the state police Contaminated Crime Scene Response Team, City of Kingston Fire Department HAZMAT Team, Ulster Hose Co. No. 5, Mobile Life Support Services and the Kingston Police Department.

Reilly

Onteora School District superintendent Victoria McLaren was first called about a police investigation into an online threat against area schools between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Thursday morning, March 1. A decision was made to send out a notice to the school community between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.

“Last night, several community members contacted law enforcement to report a threat that was posted on social media yesterday by a former student. Law enforcement immediately investigated the threat and worked for several hours to ålocate this individual. Early this morning, he was located and taken into custody,” read the notice McLaren posted. “I am thankful that members of our community reported this situation so that law enforcement could begin the investigation. It is so important that anyone who sees a threat report it immediately so that we can work with law enforcement to take the appropriate steps to keep our schools safe. We are fortunate that through the efforts of our local law enforcement professionals this individual was located so quickly and that we can move forward knowing that this situation has been resolved.”

It was noted that Onteora schools would be open for the day, and at 9 a.m. McLaren amended her earlier statement by announcing a police presence at each of the district’s schools for the day.

“We are taking this step out of an abundance of caution and to provide reassurance to students, staff, and parents,” she wrote. “We understand that this is a distressing and anxious time. We remain vigilant and focused on the safety and well-being of our students.”

Taken into custody at approximately 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning was 23-year-old Henry L. Reilly, a Saugerties resident and former Onteora student who’s been working at various businesses around Woodstock over the years. Reilly’s brother Harold died of a drug overdose behind the Bank of America in Woodstock two winters ago, sparking a town-wide soul-searching that included a number of heavily-attended forums at Onteora through the winter of 2016.

According to Reilly’s father, Fionn, he first got a call a little after 3 a.m. that his son had been reported for posting a threatening statement on Facebook. The elder Reilly told police where his son could be found and by 4:30 a.m. the young man was in custody, facing a felony charge of making a terroristic threat. He was sent to Ulster County Jail in lieu $50,000 bail.

“I’m shooting the school,” was the statement Reilly was arrested for, after an earlier rant in which the school was not mentioned.

According to McLaren, notification of Reilly’s statement was made by “members of the school community. Parents, I believe.” She was contacted by Onteora’s school resource officer, who had been contacted by state police, the county’s sheriff’s office and Woodstock police, working together.

Another timeline for Reilly’s actions emerged from Facebook posts on the young man’s social media page, as well as a GoFundMe site launched March 2.

“On the 1st of March, Henry Lancelot Reilly was at a friend’s house drinking. In the early hours of the morning, Henry began posting messages to his Facebook. From there, he made some insensitive comments. These comments then led to an upset parent reporting his posts to the police. The police then tracked his whereabouts, and before 4 a.m., arrested Henry,” reads the crowdfunding site, which by press time had raised $601 towards a $5,000 goal set to be matched by the site’s originators, Ray Morris and Sabrina Hart. “…Any of you that know Henry or have been served by him will know and understand that this has been blown out of proportion and that he intends to apologize for his insensitive words, which he never intended to fulfil [sic]…Any contribution would be greatly appreciated.”

On Reilly’s Facebook page, others noted how the offending post had been taken down soon after it went up, and attempted to put it in context. Skirmishes broke out between posters about what sort of punishment fit such a case.

“Henry wouldn’t hurt a fly. He just lost his brother recently its Hard times. There no violence in words. This is what the internet has become,” wrote one commenter, a former local now drifted to the West Coast.

“Drunk words are sober thoughts. And if your blaming his loss of a brother that’s another reason. He’s depressed or ‘mentally ill’ and causing him to say this. Every other school shooter was mental ill or crazy. And they are dealing with there consequences, as should he wether he meant it or not. Its not a joke and not okay,” replied a young mother from the Rondout Valley.

Bail contrast

By Wednesday, March 7, the Facebook infighting had disappeared. Remaining were some new comments about the many instances people had seen threats against liberals, Democrats and political figures online, as well as the amount of bail set for Reilly versus that set a few days earlier for a Saugerties father and son situation that involved threats and the discovery of a cache of firearms after the father said there were none.

On February 27, Saugerties police arrested a Saugerties High School student, 18 year old Connor Chargois, who used Snapchat to praise the Columbine High School killers on social media. His father, 58 year old Bruce Chargois, was also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration after he was found to have a cache of firearms that he had originally denied having. Among the guns was a fully automatic 9mm Uzi, an AR15, various home-manufactured .22 and 9mm firearms and a quantity of ammunition. The father was released on his own recognizance while the son posted $10,000 bail and went free.

The local threats were among 797 since the Parkland, Florida school massacre on February 14 that have been tracked by the Educator’s School Safety Network, an Ohio-based nonprofit run by former teachers and school administrators to chart violence in our schools. Locally, other incidents have resulted in arrests in the Dutchess County towns of Hyde Park, Pine Plains, and Poughkeepsie.

Social media forum 

According to Reilly’s father, his son’s situation represented a case of a young man’s raw attempts at irony, and inability to realize the ramifications of dealing with social media as a public forum.

Others pointed to the context in which the young Reilly’s comment was made, a thread that started with his statement: “Feed em, clothe em, give em a place to stay, while struggling myself. They still turn they back n they mouths on me. I’ve been on my own since I was 15.. I’ve had some help yes, but it’s harder for me then most my age around here. I never complained, only gave me sympathy for the other struggling youth. That sympathy only gave me scars in my back from u savages.”

Immediately following the Facebook statement that caused his arrest, one of Reilly’s friends commented, “Call me first,” while another asked what he meant.

Calls to Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright in regards to the high amount of bail requested in Reilly’s case, as well as a report that the young man would be offered a plea deal, went unanswered as of press time.

Reilly was set to appear in Woodstock Court before Judge Jason Lesko at 10 a.m. on March 7. Because of the threat of snow, that appointment was rescheduled until 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 8.

Onteora’s McLaren noted the importance of school communities feeling comfortable reporting all perceived threats immediately, while also expressing hopes that an upcoming forum on school safety issues, also postponed on March 7 (to the evening of March 12) “will prove helpful in bringing us together.”++

Henry Reilly, the 23-year-old Saugerties man charged with the federal crime of making a terroristic threat March 1, pled guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of falsely reporting an incident in Woodstock Town Court Thursday afternoon, March 8. The court action, before new town justice Jason Lesko, resulted in Reilly’s being released from the Ulster County Jail, where he’d been held for the previous seven nights in lieu of $50,000 bail. The Ulster County District Attorney recommended he be sentenced to probation as part of a plea deal.

Reilly was arrested in the early morning of March 1 after he posted a statement that insinuated he would “shoot the school” following an online rant, which was reported by Onteora School District parents to Woodstock Police, who then contacted state police and the Ulster County sheriff’s department, who in turn contacted Onteora’s resource officer. Onteora superintendent Victoria McLaren put out a statement about the incident before the start of school on March 1, after hearing from her district’s resource officer, having decided there was no threat of violence with Reilly under arrest. Nevertheless, a beefed-up police presence was on hand throughout the day on March 1.

Following this past Thursday’s court date, where the judge was reported to have asked Reilly whether he understood the seriousness of his statement, the young man posted an apology to the community on his Facebook page, which was also sent to us.

“I wanted to communicate to the public that I am sorry for instilling any amount of fear,” Reilly later said in a message left on this reporter’s phone. “I truly regret making the comments and they’re inexcusable and I never intended any violence upon anybody it was just a poor sense of humor and a lack of good judgment on my part.”

Reilly’s next court appearance will be on March 21.

Myra Mabry, 48, a doctor of osteopathic medicine residing in Catskill, was arrested today and charged with distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose.

According to a criminal complaint, Mabry authorized approximately 51 prescriptions for the controlled substance oxycodone, between May 2015 and January 2017, that a co-conspirator filled and picked up at pharmacies in Greene County.  Additionally, between November 2015 and June 2017, Mabry authorized approximately 44 prescriptions for the controlled substances oxycodone and hydromorphone, which were issued to another person but which Mabry filled and picked up at a Greene County pharmacy.

Mabry appeared today in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, who ordered her detained pending a detention hearing on Monday, March 12.

If convicted, Mabry faces up to 20 years in prison, at least 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, and a maximum $1 million fine.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case is being investigated by the DEA and the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, with assistance from the Catskill Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne A. Myers.

Verraine and Asia (Facebook)

Solane Verraine, who pled guilty to assisting her husband, Johnny Asia, to commit suicide in Phoenicia in November 2016, has been released from the Ulster County jail. On February 21, Judge Don Williams sentenced her to one to three years in state prison, but the next day he called her into court to announce that he had changed his mind.

“He said this was a case he has struggled to keep his personal feelings out of, but me and this case wouldn’t leave him alone,” Verraine reported. “His conscience wouldn’t let him send me to prison or do any more time.” Williams changed her sentence to six months in jail and five years’ probation, as Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Kavanagh had originally recommended. She had already served 15 months, so she was immediately released.

“The judge had second thoughts,” explained Kavanagh. “Here’s a woman in her 60s who has mental health issues with no criminal history. He ended up following the defense attorneys’ and my recommendation, on the condition that she continue to engage in mental health treatment.”

Kavanagh found the judge’s about-face most unusual, commenting, “I’ve never seen it happen before.” He said Verraine had acknowledged that her action was legally and morally wrong. Although some people believe assisted suicide should be legal in New York State, the law considers it a crime. “But does she deserve to go to prison for this?” said Kavanagh. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing her in court again. We’ve accomplished our goal if she goes on to live a law-abiding life.”

Verraine has been staying with friends in the local area since her release.

Some of the drugs and guns seized in a recent URGENT bust, along with K-9 Farrell.

The Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team this week announced the conclusion of a three-month undercover operation that resulted in the arrest of 28 alleged drug dealers from all corners of Ulster County. The announcement comes as the decade old task force is seeking increased support for its mission to combat drug and gang activity using a regional approach.

URGENT is a task force run out of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and headed by a board made up of Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum, District Attorney Holley Carnright and Town of Lloyd Police Chief Daniel Waage. The task force consists of officers from 13 county, local and federal law enforcement agencies. The team is headed by District Attorney Office Chief of Investigations William Weishaupt, a former FBI agent.

According to Carnright, the task force has spent the last three months making undercover drug buys from alleged dealers from Chichester to Plattekill and all points in between. Over the course of the investigation, the task force arrested 130 people on charges ranging from misdemeanor drug possession to felony drug trafficking and weapons charges. The operation also netted 28 illegal firearms, $123,645 in suspected drug money, 20,000 “decks” of heroin, 275 decks of pure fentanyl and 843 grams of cocaine.  Carnright said this week that authorities kept the operation quiet — no press releases were sent out and most of the targets were taken into custody in the past two weeks sometimes months after making the alleged drug sales — to prevent suspects from running and to allow officers to pursue cases from the street level to higher level suppliers.

“There isn’t necessarily a link between all of these cases, it’s just a culmination of work we have been doing over the past three months,” said Carnright. “When you develop information in undercover work, and you act immediately, it often terminates that trail. We wanted to get some of the bigger suppliers.”

Previous URGENT roundups, like 2012’s “Operation Clean Sweep,” focused on the street-level drug trade centered in Midtown Kingston. The latest operation cast a far wider net. Kingston residents accounted for a quarter of the 28 suspects hauled in. another six live in Saugerties, three in the Town of Ulster and two in Woodstock. Others come from rural communities like Chichester, Shawangunk and Accord.

Carnright said the demographics of the operation reflected the ongoing opioid crisis, which has hit hardest among white, rural and suburban communities. “The opioid crisis is broader than people want to believe,” the DA said. “Before the opioid crisis there seemed to be some sections of the county that were pretty clean, but opioids don’t discriminate. They can be in any community.”

In Woodstock, the sweep netted two suspects. Phillip “Phil Void” Hemley, 67, was arrested after URGENT executed a search warrant on his residence. The search turned up 21.6 pounds of marijuana, three ounces of psilocybin mushrooms, 2.5 ounces of hashish and $15,676 in suspected drug proceeds. Hemley was charged with the class A-II felony of second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and the class C felonies of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and first-degree criminal possession of marijuana. A second Woodstock resident, Bo Hirsch, 18, is charged with felony fourth- and second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and first-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

A search warrant in Kingston led to the arrest of Matthew A. Felton, 37. The raid turned up 12.4 grams of crack cocaine, 4.4 grams of heroin, a half-pound of marijuana and $8,047 in suspected drug proceeds. Felton is charged with eight counts of felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and felony counts of tampering with evidence and criminal possession of marijuana. Felton also faces a misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.

A third warrant executed in the connection with URGENT sweep led to the arrest of Edwin Pomales, 69, of Route 32 in the Town of Ulster. Police say they turned up a quarter-kilo of cocaine, an ounce of concentrated cannabis, two and a half ounces of marijuana, rifles, shotguns, scales and drug packaging materials during the search. Police also discovered $15,390 in suspected drug proceeds during the raid. Pomales is charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and criminal possession of marijuana.

Additionally the following suspects were arrested in the URGENT operation.

Kingston

• Ronald W. Warnick, 50, of John Street is charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He also faces misdemeanor counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

• Caryn Wilde, 43, of East Chester Street is charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Shayna Longendyke, 33, of Clinton Avenue is charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Jurgen Ladstetter, 47, of Cedar Street is charged with felony third- and fouth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Kenneth Montgomery, 30, of Henry Street was indicted by an Ulster County Grand Jury on felony counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Richard W. Torres, 26, of Kingston was charged with felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Town of Ulster

• Ryan E. Rios, 35, was charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon. At the time of his arrest, Rios was free while awaiting trial on federal drug charges stemming from an October 2016 operation by Homeland Security Investigations into a Kingston- and Poughkeepsie-based cocaine trafficking ring.

• Kristi R. Noonan is charged with felony counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Saugerties

• Brian J. Lombardo, 25, is charged with felony counts of fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• William P. Braden III, 35, is charged with three counts of felony fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and three counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Melissa R. Neglia, 25, is charged with two counts of felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Cesar J. Infante, 33, is charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Michael J. Cavallaro, 35, is charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. According to state records, Cavallaro was released from prison on parole in March 2017 after serving six years for a previous drug conviction.

• Skylar A. Eichert, 28, is charged with four counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Other locations

The following people were also charged in connection with the URGENT operation.

• Alyssa J. Long, 22, of Rosendale was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Jordan A. King, 20, of Rosendale was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

• Kayla S. Holderman, 26, of Hurley was charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession on a controlled substance.

• Christopher J. Lay, 36, of Chichester was charged with felony fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor first-degree loitering.

If these trees at Turkey Point State Forest could talk… (Photo by Will Dendis)

An indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court this week contained new details of a brutal slaying allegedly committed by members of a violent street gang at the Turkey Point state forest in Saugerties last year.

In the indictment, prosecutors charge that a three-man “cancha,” or cell, of the 18th Street Gang based in Kingston helped a downstate associate murder a suspected informant and later sheltered him after he gunned down a member of a rival gang on a Queens street.

The indictment, filed on March 22, names Yanki Misael Cruz-Matteo, Israel Mendiola Flores, Sergio Gerardo Herrera-Hidalgo and Christian Perez as conspirators. Cruz-Matteo, 19, Herrera-Hidalgo, 19, and Flores, 23, are charged with federal counts of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy in connection with the Oct. 25, 2017 murder at the Turkey Point state forest. Perez is charged with assisting a federal offender for allegedly sheltering Cruz-Matteo after he shot and killed a member of the rival MS-13 gang in Jamaica, Queens and fled to Kingston. Cruz-Matteo, a Guatemalan national whom authorities say is in the country illegally, is also charged with “alien in possession of a firearm” based on a video uncovered by authorities which shows him rapping about murdering rivals while displaying a pistol that authorities believe may be the murder weapon in a second gang slaying.

The indictment comes one month after state and local police working with the FBI arrested all four men in Kingston in an operation that was shrouded in secrecy. Since the Feb. 21 arrests, Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright, police officials and federal authorities have remained tight lipped about particulars of the case. An affidavit in support of arrest warrants obtained by Ulster Publishing last month named Perez and Herrera-Hidalgo while shielding the identities of Cruz-Matteo and Flores.

According to documents in the case, all four men are members of the 18th Street Gang. Known to law enforcement as a “transnational criminal street gang” with branches throughout Mexico and Central America, in the United States the gang, also known as “Barrio 18” and “Mara 18”is composed primarily of young immigrants, including some who came across the border among a flood of unaccompanied minors fleeing gang violence in Central America. Authorities say the gang, like its better known rival MS-13, engages in drug dealing, human trafficking, and prostitution while using violence to enforce discipline, secure turf and enhance prestige.

Federal prosecutors say Flores, Perez and Herrera-Hidalgo formed a Kingston cancha of the gang, while Cruz-Matteo is affiliated with another branch based in Jamaica, Queens. On the night of Oct. 24, 2017, the indictment alleges, Cruz-Matteo lured the victim — a fellow gang member suspected of cooperating with police — onto an Adirondack Trailways bus to Kingston. Meanwhile, based on cell phone records, police believe Herrera-Hidalgo was at Turkey Point, a 140-acre state forest on the Hudson River, preparing the execution site. At 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 25, police believe Herrera-Hidalgo met the victim, whose identity is known to prosecutors but not included in the indictment, at the bus station and drove them to Turkey Point.

What happened next is recorded on a cell phone video that Cruz-Matteo allegedly sent to a high-ranking gang member turned paid FBI informant. On it, Cruz-Matteo and Floresare shown stabbing the victim repeatedly in the body, head and neck. The video also depicts Flores slashing the victim’s throat and Cruz-Matteo slicing off an ear. Herrera-Hidalgo does not appear in the video, but an FBI agent’s affidavit claims that he told agents that he had stabbed the victim.

Perez is not identified in the indictment as being part of the Turkey Point murder. But the same affidavit claims that his cell phone “pinged” off a tower near the forest around the time that the conspirators were murdering and burying the victim. At one point in the video, Cruz-Matteo brags to the camera that the murder is “for the sureños,” using a term for high ranking gang members. In the FBI affidavit, the agent surmises that the killing was carried out either as an initiation into the gang or to enhance the killers’ prestige within the crew.

A second affidavit, unsealed this month, implicates Cruz-Matteo in the Feb. 2 murder of a man he believed was a member of Barrio-18’s bitter rival, MS-13. In the affidavit, FBI agent Martha Beltran refers to communications between Cruz-Matteo and the same gang leader/informant who provided agents with the murder video. The FBI’s Beltran refers to a second video, sent around the time of the Turkey Point murder, which shows Cruz-Matteo rapping in Spanish about murdering rivals while waving around a .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

“Let me introduce myself, I represent 18th Street,” Cruz-Matteo allegedly declares in the video. “I throw out the X with the word from Guatemala, killing the rivals chopping them all to pieces.”

Beltran said investigators suspect the gun may have been the same weapon used in the Feb. 2 murder at the corner of 160th Street and 85th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. During the investigation of the shooting, NYPD detectives turned up .380-caliber shell casings. FBI firearms experts later determined that the shells were fired from the same type of Cobra CA-380 pistol, or a nearly identical model, displayed by Cruz-Matteo in the video. Three days after the shooting, Beltran testified, Cruz-Matteo admitted to the shooting in a series of WhatsApp messages with the informant.

Around the same time, prosecutors believe, Cruz-Matteo decamped Queens to take refuge with the Kingston cancha. On Feb. 14, agents and local police discovered the grave at Turkey Point. One week later, agents were able to use cell phone data to track Cruz-Matteo to Perez’s Kingston residence. All four men were initially arraigned on state charges of second-degree murder.

Flores remains behind bars in Ulster County Jail. Cruz-Matteo, Perez and Herrera-Hidalgo are in federal custody. All four men will be tried in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. Cruz-Matteo, Herrera-Hidalgo and Flores face life in prison without the possibility of parole. Perez faces a maximum term of 15 years in federal prison on the assisting a federal offender charge and 25 years to life on the state charge of second­-degree murder.